66% of Canadians are comfortable with less social interactions than they had before the pandemic: report
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Article content
Pandemic stress over the past two years has driven many Canadians to consider a career change, says a monthly health survey.
LifeWorks Inc.’s mental health index found nearly half of workers are, or possibly are, rethinking their career goals due to COVID-19.
“Canadians continue to face many challenges, both within and outside of the workplace as a result of the pandemic, across the full physical, mental, financial and social wellbeing spectrum,” Stephen Liptrap, LifeWorks president and CEO, said in a press release. “The decisions being made are largely due to people seeking opportunities to improve their overall wellbeing.”
Workers remain under strain. The findings showed that the general psychological health of Canadians is at the lowest point in the past 23 months.
Article content
Work productivity saw the most significant improvement in February, reaching a high not seen since the launch of the index in April 2020. Yet, 30 per cent of workers surveyed are considering retraining for a different career, 24 per cent are considering resigning and moving to a different role, and 21 per cent are considering retiring.
One worrying trend the poll identified is that nearly two-thirds (66 per cent) of survey-takers are comfortable with less social interaction than they had before the pandemic.
“There was a trend toward increased isolation before the pandemic, which has now been exacerbated,” said Paula Allen, LifeWorks global leader and senior vice-president in the press release. “This is yet another risk factor for mental health that both individuals and employers need to be concerned about.”
Article content
The survey found that employees who will be making a career change or whose career goals changed due to the pandemic have lower mental health scores (-18.5) than the national average (-10.6).
Poor mental health also had a strong correlation with absenteeism. The data showed that workers who missed more days of work due to illness had lower mental health scores than those with fewer days lost.
Better mental health was associated with feeling valued, doing work that is valued, having control, and being accepted.
Meanwhile, the lowest mental health score (-29.4) was among those who do not believe they can be themselves at work. Younger employees were also most likely to believe their work is not important to their employer.
Article content
Allen said that social interaction has to be part of the long-term solution. “It might take some time, but we need to start connecting to others more than we are now,” she said. “It is clear that people are comfortable interacting and seeing other individuals less, and even though less interaction is what we have become used to, it does not mean that it is best in the long-term.”
_____________________________________________________________
Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.
_____________________________________________________________
CP THREATENS LOCK OUT Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. said it will lock out 3,000 conductors and locomotive engineers if union officials won’t make a deal by March 20. CP and Teamsters Canada have been negotiating a new collective agreement since September, and earlier this month union members voted to authorize a strike if necessary. Business and agricultural leaders have been warning that a work stoppage at the railway would be “catastrophic” for the flow of goods at a time when supply chain disruptions have already driven up food costs to a level not seen in almost 13 years, writes Jake Edmiston. Photo by Todd Korol/Reuters files
Article content
___________________________________________________
- Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly participates in the Munk School of Global Affairs & Policy’s series In Conversation, to discuss Canada’s foreign policy in the current geopolitical context
- Transport Minister Omar Alghabra will announce new funding to help the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and to support continued air services and important transportation infrastructure projects at the airport
- Electric snowmobiles produced by Taiga are unveiled in Saint-Paulin, Quebec
- Today’s Data: Canadian retail sales and international securities transactions; U.S. existing home sales and leading indicators
- Earnings: Orla Mining
Article content
___________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Article content
Nutrien Ltd., the world’s biggest maker of fertilizers, pledged to do its part in fighting global food inflation by increasing potash production by “almost” one million tonnes in the second half of 2022, pushing total production this year to about 15 million tonnes. The announcement comes amid serious worry that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will cause a spike in hunger in places such as Egypt and Iran, and economic stagnation in richer countries like Canada, writes Kevin Carmichael.
____________________________________________________
Learning how to capitalize on remote learning is crucial for independent teachers. Our content partner StackCommerce has the perfect tool to launch your online teaching side hustle. With an OnlineCourseHost: Lifetime Subscription, you can engage in unlimited video hosting, collect payments online and take advantage of the platform’s advanced marketing features.
____________________________________________________
Today’s Posthaste was written by Noella Ovid, with additional reporting from The Canadian Press, Thomson Reuters and Bloomberg.
Have a story idea, pitch, embargoed report, or a suggestion for this newsletter? Email us at [email protected], or hit reply to send us a note.
Listen to Down to Business for in-depth discussions and insights into the latest in Canadian business, available wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the latest episode below: